THE QUARANTINE - 1902

SIMON, BERG, FLYNN

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 2/14/2017 at 18:19:17

Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Jan. 4, 1902

THE QUARANTINE
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NICHOLAS SIMON BREAKS
IT AND CALLS ON
MAYOR BERG
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Simon Says that His Family has
No Groceries and Have Been
Living on Potatoes
~
Nicholas Simon, 1470 Pine Street called at the mayor’s office in the city hall today and made complaint that his family, which is quarantined on account of a contagious disease, has been without groceries for the past two weeks. Mayor Berg asked the man what the family had been living on and he answered “potatoes.”

Nicholas Simon is a man about 40 years old and he looks honest, he is an employee of James Beach, the soap manufacturer, but was compelled to quit work on account of sickness in his family. When the mayor asked him why he didn’t go the the grocer and order what he needed he said that his bill was too big and his credit was poor. The man looked pale and excited.

The officials of the city hall did not appreciate the man’s visit and all the time he was talking to the mayor they kept a good distance. The fact that Simon broke the quarantine led to the remark that the Board of Health is running things in a very loose and careless manner. If quarantined people are free to go about at will, they say, how does the Board of Health expects to stamp out the disease.

Mayor Berg reprimand Simon for breaking the quarantine, saying that it was criminal of him to do so. “If I did the right thing,” he said, I would send you down to the detention hospital and lock you up there until the danger is past. But I don’t want to work a hardship on you or your family.”

“Well,” replied Simon, “I couldn’t let my family starve, could I?”

The mayor then called Health Officer Flynn who told Simon that the proper place for him to go was the Board of Supervisors in order to get provisions. In reply to this Simon stated that he had been to see that body and they referred him to the mayor. It was thus disclosed that the man was running all over town. No wonder the disease is prevalent.

Mayor Berg told Simon to go home and stay there until the quarantine is raised. He also assured him that he would be provided with groceries.